Promise Me You'll Find Me
by emeraldorchid
Summary: Ten years ago Kyo and Yuki both made a promise, an unbreakable vow to a friend they both cared for. Now they set off in a perilous journey to find her, a journey to find their long lost love.
1. Kidnappings and Curses

**Chapter 1**

**Kidnapping and Curses**

Three small children about the age of seven happily played under the warm welcoming rays of the sun. Their happy shrieks filled the air as they started playing an interesting game of tag. Laughter filled the air as the three children happily played together.

"I caught you Tohru!" Yuki Sohma, the prince of Filore happily yelled. His silvery grey eyes were filled with happiness as he watched Tohru Honda, daughter of Lady Kyoko, slowly pick herself up.

"Okay!" Tohru brightly replied as she ran after the person nearest to her. "Caught you Kyo!" Tohru joyfully cried as she started running away from the orange haired boy next to her. Kyo Sohma was the son of a simple village peasant. Tohru and Yuki still continued to play with him, ignoring the fact that he was the son of a peasant. Tohru never fully understood the reason why the rank of Yuki and Kyo's parents were different when they both had the same last name.

"I'm tired Tohru!" Kyo cried as he fell down the ground, exhausted.

"Okay! Let's rest!" Tohru cheerfully replied. She sat down right next to Kyo completely forgetting the fact that grass stains would be all over her white dress.

"Kyo, Tohru stand up" Yuki commanded as he nimbly took off his heavy cloak and placed it down the ground for the three of them to sit on. "There, that's better!" He cried with childish joy as he fell down the ground a loud thud. "Now our clothes won't get dirty!"

"You're always the worrier Yuki" Kyo playfully teased as he sat beside Tohru. Tohru watched the two boys with a worried expression on her face. She knew that a fight was about to start. She looked at the skies and let out a delighted gasp as she watched the skies slowly turn pink.

"Guys look!" Tohru happily yelled as she tugged at their sleeves. "Look at the sky!" Both boys raised their eyebrows and slightly tilted their heads to watch the sky. The three children made a captivating picture that any artist passing by would have wanted to stop and paint them. Yuki in his princely clothing, Tohru in her simple yet elegant white dress and Kyo in his plain peasant-like garb, altogether the three children made a captivating picture.

"This is boring!" Kyo cried. He was never the type of child to stay still. "Let's play another game!" He suggested.

"Like what?" Yuki asked. His gray eyes were fixed on Kyo. Kyo fell silent for a moment to think of a game that they haven't played.

"I know!" He said excitedly "Let's play hide and seek!"

"That's a great idea!" Yuki readily agreed. "The castle grounds are huge and we have plenty of places to hide in. The forest, the garden, the-"

"I-I'll get lost…" Tohru nervously mumbled. Yuki and Kyo both looked at Tohru with raised eyebrows.

"No you won't Tohru" Yuki gently told her.

"But in case if I do Promise me you'll find me" Tohru whispered. "Promise me…"

Both boys exchanged exasperated looks and smiled at her.

"Of course we'll find you" Yuki said with a smile on his face. _Tohru always worries about unnecessary things. _Yuki thought with a small smile on his lips.

"What makes you think we won't look for you?" Kyo added. _Like as if she'll get lost. _He thought.

"Okay!" Tohru brightly replied. "Let's play!"

Then the three children started their ritual determining which one was going to end up as the seeker. The ritual was playing the simple game of paper, scissors, sticks and stone. Tohru and Kyo both had paper while Yuki hand was clenched into a tight fist, a stone. With Yuki the loser Kyo and Tohru ran off to find their hiding places. Kyo ran towards one of the gardens while Tohru ran towards the miniature forest that grew within the castle grounds.

"Eight, nine and ten! I'm coming to find you!" Yuki yelled and he ran off towards one of the many gardens in the castle grounds.

_Meanwhile…_

Kyo climbed down the tree he was hiding from and looked around. _Where's Tohru?_ He thought, looking around him. _Maybe I should go find her. _He thought with a frown on his face. _I'll go find her and see if she's okay._ He thought and he ran off to find Tohru.

_In the forest…_

Tohru looked around the unfamiliar surroundings and decided one thing. She was lost. Scared, she crouched down the ground and started crying.Slowly mist started creeping around the whole area and Tohru lifted her head to see what was going on. Out of the mist a figure could be seen, slowly approaching her. As the figure got nearer and nearer Tohru could see that it was a man with teal coloured eyes and raven black hair that was darker than the skies of night. She didn't know who he was. She never saw him before.

The figure stopped in front of Tohru and looked down at her.

"Hello Lady Tohru" The man whispered. He had a cold cruel voice that Tohru didn't like and she instantly started edging away from him. The man saw this and grabbed her upper arm and stared menacingly at her.

"Where do you think you're going?" He snarled.

"I-I need to go home now stranger-san" Tohru said politely as she tried to wriggle free from his vice like grip.

"You're not going anywhere princess" The man whispered menacingly. Tohru was getting scared. What did this man want with her? She was only the daughter of Lord Kazuya and Lady Kyoko.

"Please, let me go" Tohru whispered.

"No. You're coming with me Tohru. Without you the Sohma's will slowly crumble to the curse I placed on them and when that happens conquering the kingdom of Filore will be an easy task for me to accomplish" He hissed. Tohru gasped. _So this man is a sorcerer. _She thought her brown eyes as wide as saucers.

The stranger's head snapped up in surprise when he heard two childish voices calling out Tohru's name. Wordlessly he quickly picked Tohru up and vanished into the mist. Tohru let out a scream but it was drowned out by the man's maniacal laughter. Luckily Kyo and Yuki heard it and they both ran towards the direction of the scream. The only thing they found was a single blue ribbon lying on the ground. The ribbon was one of the many gifts Yuki gave Tohru for her birthday.


	2. Reunion

**Chapter 2**

**Reunion**

_Ten years later…_

Kyo Sohma stood in front of the castle gates and looked at it for the first time in ten years. Ten years ago he was banned to enter the castle grounds because of what happened to Tohru Honda. It was easy to blame him, the son of a simple village peasant. He could still remember the day when the queen blamed him for the reason why Tohru Honda was missing and forever banned him from playing with Yuki and entering the castle grounds. Kyo took a step forward when one of the imperial guards stopped him.

"What business do you have?" The castle guard asked in an intimidating tone. However, Kyo was not intimidated by him.

Kyo glanced at his partner, a short blond foreigner who was also a Sohma and nodded. The short blond nodded in reply and captured the guard's gaze with his hypnotizing blue eyes.

"You will let us pass" His partner said in a girlish whisper. The guard's expression slowly turned blank and slowly opened the gates. The blonde's eye's never left the guard's and as soon as they entered the gate the blond said in a soft, barely audible whisper:

"Very good. As soon as this gate closes you will forget everything about us" With those final words the gates closed behind them.

"Well done Momiji" Kyo said. Momiji gave him a bright childish smile and continued walking. The smile always got on Kyo's nerves and Momiji knew about that. As they continued walking Momiji looked around the place with great interest.

"This place looks pretty Kyo" Momiji said in awe as they passed by one of the gardens. Momiji's hair shone like gold under the sunlight while Kyo's orange hair burned like fire. Kyo sneered and continued walking, his brown cape billowing behind him. He could hear Momiji running to catch up with him while at the same time let praising everything single thing he could set his eyes on.

"Kyo look at those flowers. They look so-"

"Momiji shut up" Kyo snapped. He didn't want to hear any words of praise about the place that only gave him bad memories. "You are getting on my nerves" Momiji fell silent and they continued walking. Along the way they passed by frantic maids that were busy running here and there. Occasionally a few of them would stop their work and stare at Kyo and Momiji.

"Kyo-"

"I thought I told you to shut up" _Honestly this kid may be a good spell caster but can't he even keep his mouth shut?_ Kyo thought angrily.

"I heard that Prince Yuki is getting married to Countess Motoko" Momiji silently whispered. Kyo stopped in his tracks and looked at his partner.

"Where did you get that piece of information?" Kyo demanded. Momiji shrugged his shoulders and answered.

"I read it from the mind of that passing girl. Her name is Minami Kinoshita. She is Countess Motoko's closest friend" Momiji brightly replied flashing Kyo one of his annoying grins.

The blood that flowed on Kyo's veins suddenly turned cold as he processed the information that Momiji just gave him. _He forgot his promise! _Kyo thought angrily as he clenched and unclenched his fists. _The promise he made to Tohru!_

Images started floating on Kyo's mind as he remembered the promise they both made to Tohru ten years ago…

"_I-I'll get lost…" Tohru nervously mumbled. Yuki and Kyo both looked at Tohru with raised eyebrows._

"_No you won't Tohru" Yuki gently told her._

"_But in case if I do Promise me you'll find me" Tohru whispered. "Promise me…"_

_Both boys exchanged exasperated looks and smiled at her._

"_Of course we'll find you" Yuki said with a smile on his face. ._

"_What makes you think we won't look for you?" Kyo added. ._

"_Okay!" Tohru brightly replied. "Let's play!"_

"That bastard" Kyo dangerously muttered under his breath before he quickly strode towards the castle "Momiji track down where the _prince_ is" Kyo spat out the word prince like as if it was a foul disgusting word. Momiji nervously bit his lip, closed his eyes and started muttering the tracking spell to find the prince. He got a sudden image in his head that showed a young man with raven black hair standing in a room. Momiji guessed that it was his chamber. The image suddenly vanished and he ran after Kyo.

"Kyo, he's in his chambers"

x

Yuki Sohma took out a bottle of red wine and poured it into his wineglass. He watched the blood red liquid slowly fill the cup until it reached the brim. He took the wineglass and raised it towards the white haired man sitting in the corner of his room.

"To my doom" He said bitterly before he drank it with one gulp. The white haired man silently watched his prince drown out his sorrows of the upcoming marriage by drinking endless bottles of wine "Do you want some Hatsuharu?" The prince asked as he started filling his glass again.

"No" Hatsuharu silently replied. "My prince-"

"I know what you're going to say Hatsuharu. It won't work. I won't be able to get out of this marriage" Yuki replied, his voice filled with sorrow. Hatsuharu was his cousin and bodyguard. After Kyo was thrown out of the castle grounds Yuki's mother, the queen requested to her older sister, a countess, that Hatsuharu should start living within the castle grounds. Hatsuharu's mom readily agreed and the two boys formed a quick yet strong bond of friendship.

"Yuki I was wondering…"

"What?" Yuki asked in a slurred voice. Hatsuharu hesitated before he continued.

"I was wondering about…forget about it" Hatsuharu shrugged.

"About what?" Yuki asked. Hatsuharu fell silent. "Tell me Hatsuharu" He demanded. There was a knock on the door and Hatsuharu let out a relieved sigh.

"It must be the servants bringing us more wine. I'll go get it" Hatsuharu offered and ran towards the door. Before Hatsuharu could place his hands on the handle the door burst open revealing a young man with orange coloured hair. Next to him stood a young blond that was slightly shorter than the orange haired man. Hatsuharu drew his sword to protect his prince. Yuki dropped his wine glass in surprise. The orange haired man could only be his childhood friend, Kyo.

x

I would like to thank DarkKyo, faeryespell, CallaRose4ever, Reanie Campal and littleduck. Thank you all for reviewing!


	3. The Meeting and The Brawl

**Chapter 3**

**The Meeting and The Brawl**

"Kyo…It's been a long time" Yuki said, his calm grey eyes leveled with Kyo's angry orange ones. Kyo in return sneered.

"Long enough to forget you're promise to Tohru?" Kyo asked in a scathing tone "You're promise to find her?" He asked nastily.

"I kept my promise Kyo-" Yuki heatedly replied.

"Liar!" Kyo yelled. Unable to control his anger anymore he lunged towards Yuki. Hatsuharu quickly ran towards Yuki to help him only to be pinned down by one of Momiji's spells.

The two former best friends were locked in a dangerous fight that neither side would come out as the victor.

"You lied to her!" Kyo yelled as he delivered another punch towards Yuki. Yuki quickly blocked it.

"I didn't! It was you that didn't keep your promise to Tohru! You didn't look for her! You never even bothered!" Yuki retaliated. He delivered Kyo a head kick which Kyo easily blocked.

"I couldn't look for her because you damn well know the reason why!" Kyo yelled. He gave Yuki a punch which he gracefully and easily countered. "You and your guards kicked me out of the castle grounds before I even had the chance to look for her! You-" Before Kyo could continue with what he was saying Yuki punched him on the chest and it sent him flying across the room. Before Kyo could even stand Yuki raised his hand and started muttering a few magical words. The ground started glowing white and huge white vines started wrapping themselves around Kyo.

"Stupid peasant" Yuki muttered before walking away. He could see that the blond had Hatsuharu in a similar bind and he immediately hurled an energy ball towards the blond. The blond was sent flying and the binding spell that was casted on Hatsuharu immediately vanished. Yuki did not see the need on restraining the blond that was heavily bleeding on the floor. He massaged his hand with his slender fingers and turned towards Hatsuharu.

"Call the guards and tell them to throw these scums into the dungeons" Yuki commanded. Hatsuharu obediently nodded and left.

"At least us scums don't go randomly marrying countesses" Kyo said nastily. Yuki's back stiffened and he angrily turned around to face his former friend.

"What did you say Kyo?" Yuki asked in a calm yet deadly voice.

"You're going to marry Countess Motoko aren't you?" Kyo asked "What wonderful loyalty you have towards Tohru. You give up on finding her and you nicely go and pick some royal blooded brat to marry. I applaud you for your loyalty Yuki. I applaud you" Kyo said sarcastically "Princes as I can easily see forgets their promises for their own convenience" He added, his voice dripping with poison.

"What are you talking about?" Yuki asked in a low dangerous voice. Kyo shrugged.

"The promise we made to each other before I was banned from entering the castle grounds. The promise that after ten years, after we both have finished our training, we'll both go on a quest to find Tohru. That promise" Kyo said.

"That was a long time ago Kyo. Tohru's-"

"Don't you dare say she's dead Yuki! Since you and I both know that she's not!" Kyo yelled "Every night we both get dreams of Tohru-"

"You simply can't let go of the past Kyo" Yuki said in a cold voice filled with finality and he left the room, leaving Kyo seething with anger. _The traitor…_Kyo thought angrily.

The guards quickly entered the room and roughly took Kyo and Momiji out of the prince's room.

"Put the blond in one of those special rooms" Hatsuharu commanded. The guard stared back dumbly at him.

"Which?" The guard asked in a dumb tone.

"The anti magical one idiot!" Hatsuharu snapped. The guard nodded, frightened. Hatsuharu's temper was well known with the guards. He was one of the main reasons why most guards lose their jobs. Hatsuharu demanded perfection and if the guard, new or old, failed to achieve what he wanted them to do they were instantly fired.

He watched the guards drag the prisoners to the dungeons before going to the healers. The wounds that the blond gave him were getting wider by the second. _I had to say. That blond is one nasty spell caster. _Hatsuharu thought as he painfully went down the winding staircase of the castle. _Reminds me of the day when Yuki used me for target practice…_ Hatsuharu thought. It started out as a harmless game that ended up in drastic results. Yuki wanted to try out a spell he currently learned. Hatsuharu innocently volunteered not knowing at that time that Yuki's magic was something to be feared. So they played a little game and when Yuki casted the spell on him Hatsuharu was in coma for two whole weeks. Hatsuharu let out a quick indrawn breath. He could feel something eating him inside, slowly and painfully, and he knew that it was from the curse he and Yuki both shared, the curse of the Sohma family.

x

Yuki lay on his soft wide bed and closed his eyes. Images of Tohru started floating in his head. Tohru laughing, singing, crying…Yuki firmly shook his head and mindlessly stared at the ceiling. _How did Kyo know?_ Yuki thought. _How did he know that I dream of her every night?_ He closed his eyes again. _Maybe his spell casting friend told him. I wonder if the blonde's of royal blood._ Yuk wondered. Only people with royal blood or blue blood as some people say were the only ones gifted with the skill of magic. It was choice whether one wanted to enhance it or not. There were some commoners that were gifted with the skill but since studying magic was expensive they were left untrained.

Yuki clutched the side of his stomach as he felt a painful pang. Then it came again and again until the pain became unbearable. Yuki knew that this was part of the curse that was placed on him and his family ten years ago but ever since his seventeenth birthday the curse seemed to have gotten stronger. He got out of the bed and painfully limped towards the nearby table to get the yucky green liquid that looked like vomit. He held it in his hands and drank it with one big gulp, ignoring the disgusting taste that lingered in his mouth.

Yuki's eyelids started feeling heavy as he felt the medicine taking effect. He walked towards his bed and as soon as he reached it he instantly fell asleep. During his sleep Yuki started dreaming…

x

And chapter three is finally posted! Hooray! I would like to thank TearWings, CallaRose4ever, faeryespell and DarkKyo for reviewing, thank you. Incase of you want another fanfiction to read I have another story called Bittersweet Love it is based on furuba and it currently has eleven chapters already. Check it out if you want to (I am not forcing you).


	4. Dreams and Escapes

**Chapter 4**

**Dreams and Escapes**

_Yuki opened his eyes and saw that he was in a forest. The place looked familiar to him and he looked around trying to remember. Then it hit him it was the same place that he had been visiting for the past three weeks. The forest was his meeting place with Tohru._

"_Yuki…" A soft voice behind him whispered. Yuki instantly turned around and saw that it was Tohru. Her face, like the past dreams, was blurry._

"_Tohru" Yuki said his voice filled with joy. He reached out to touch her but Tohru quickly moved away._

"_Why?" She asked in a tear strained voice. "Why did you forget your promise?" Tohru asked._

"_But-" Before Yuki could finish what he was saying the scenery started to change and Tohru started to disappear._

"_You promised…" Tohru whispered, her cheeks stained with tears. "You promised"_

"_Tohru!" Yuki yelled as he lunged and tried to grab her hand. As soon as he held it there was a loud whoosh and Yuki was thrown away. "I love you!" Yuki yelled. For a moment their hands met before Yuki was fully sucked by the vortex._

"_Free Kyo" Tohru whispered to him "And find me" _

And Yuki Sohma woke up in his room yelling and gasping for breath.

x

It was in the middle of the night. Yuki grabbed the quiver full of arrows that was lying in the corner of his room and slung it over his slender shoulders. He took his silver coloured bow and grabbed the small dagger that was lying on the table and he quickly left the room.

As he was passing down the hallways he felt a strong hand grab his shoulder.

"Where do you think your going Yuki?" A male voice asked. Yuki didn't have to turn around to know that it was Hatsuharu. Hatsuharu was looking at him with curious brown eyes. "Why are you dressed as if you're going hunting?"

Yuki let out a sigh and looked at his white haired friend. "I'm going to the dungeons" Yuki said. Hatsuharu raised his eyebrows and examined Yuki from head to toe.

"You're not planning to use the prisoners for target practice are you?" Hatsuharu asked in a serious tone. Yuki angrily looked at Hatsuharu.

"No!" Yuki heatedly replied. Hatsuharu sniggered.

"Don't get mad I was just joking. So why do you want to go there anyway?" Hatsuharu asked. Yuki sighed. He knew that Hatsuharu was a stubborn person and commanding him to go back to his room would be meaningless since he wouldn't listen to him.

"Well…I'll tell you but promise you won't laugh" Yuki said. Hatsuharu nodded and propped his shoulder against the wall. Yuki took a deep breath and he started explaining, starting from Tohru's kidnapping to his recent dream.

_Ten minutes later… _

Yuki quickly went down the stairs that lead to the dungeon. Hatsuharu was following him closely from behind. They passed by a sleeping guard and Hatsuharu frowned in disapprovement.

"I'll make sure that that guard gets demoted first thing tomorrow morning" Hatsuharu silently told himself. Yuki heard this and smiled.

"Come now Hatsuharu give the man a chance. You've demoted enough guards for one week already" Yuki jokingly told him. Hatsuharu flashed him a smile. Yuki approached the sleeping guard and waved his gloved hand over the guards head. "Sleep eternal slumber. Thou shall not wake unless hit by lumber"

His gloved hands started glowing white and the sleeping guard let out a loud snore. Hatsuharu let out a laugh.

"Sleep eternal slumber? Thou shall not wake until hit by lumber? What kind of spell is that?" He asked "Who do you think would be stupid enough to actually hit this idiot with lumber?" He asked tears of laughter were slowly staining his cheeks "Hehehe! Hilarious!"

"I made up that spell in ten seconds! You can't expect it to be good" Yuki retaliated. His porcelain cheeks were flushed with embarrassment "And be quiet! You'll wake the prisoners" Yuki angrily commanded. Hatsuharu stifled his laughter by biting his bottom lip.

The two of them continued to walk through millions of cells that held many of the kingdoms most dangerous assassins, thieves and many more. They both stopped when they finally reached the last cell in the hallway. The cell's prisoner was no other than Kyo.

Yuki watched Kyo mumbling in his sleep and he could only form out one word. The word was 'Tohru'. Yuki felt a pang of jealousy. _So Tohru was also communicating with him. _He thought. He did a couple of hand gestures to the lock and there was a slight click and the door swung open. Yuki cautiously approached Kyo as if fearing that he might attack him even in his sleep.

"Kyo" Yuki said in his usual soft voice. Seeing that Kyo still did not wake he kicked him on the stomach. Almost immediately Kyo woke up.

"Oww…What did you think you were doing?" Kyo yelled angrily. "Damn prince"

"Stupid Peasant" Yuki easily countered.

"Seeing that you're here what do you want and where did you take my partner, Momiji?" Kyo asked in a savage tone. Yuki coolly looked at Kyo in the eyes before replying.

"Tohru told me to free you" He replied. Kyo fell silent for a moment. In his dream Tohru told him that Yuki was coming. _Was Tohru really communicating with them through dreams? _Kyo thought. Yuki saw understanding dawn in Kyo's eyes and nodded. "Let's get going shall we"

"Wait a minute prissy prince" Kyo called out a he slowly stood up. The kick that Yuki gave him hurt. "Where's Momiji?" he asked. "Were not leaving until Momiji comes along" He finished. Yuki simply shrugged and continued walking. "Tell me!"

"Hatsuharu went to get him" Yuki replied with a sigh. "If you want to retrieve your weapons I suggest you follow me" Yuki told him mildly. Kyo followed him all the while muttering curses under his breath.

"Stupid prince" Kyo muttered. "Just because he's some-" Kyo's voice immediately faded away and he held his throat. Panic could be seen in his orange coloured eyes. He could see Yuki's shoulders shaking with laughter. _I'm going to kill him!_ Kyo thought angrily. _Why did I ever become friends with him ten years ago?_ Kyo thought in blind rage.

"Much better now don't you think?" Yuki asked as the two of them continued walking down the hall way. Yuki knew that Kyo was already thinking of fifty ways of killing him. They both stopped at the very end of the hallway where there were two doors. The right one led to the anti-magical cells and the left door contained all the weapons confiscated from the prisoners. Hatsuharu and Momiji were both waiting just outside the left door. Kyo breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw that Momiji was safe. Normally he was a mean guy but he cared about the well being of his partners.

"Kyo you're safe!" Momiji happily yelled and he did a happy twirl.

"Shut up Momiji" Kyo muttered and he hit him on the head. Momiji let out a loud wail.

"That hurt!" Momiji cried, all of a sudden he brightened up. "Wanna know what Kyo? They have all your weapons in that room" Momiji brightly informed him. Kyo gave him a nod and he entered the room and rummage through the many weapons that were hidden there. He finally found his weapon, a sword, slightly shorter than a Katana with a transparent blade that looked as if it was made of ice. He picked another sword that was slightly taller than the other one. The blade of this sword looked as if it was in fire. Flames seemed to be dancing on the surface of the blade.

Yuki watched Kyo handle the swords with care and wondered where he got them. The two swords were the legendary swords of fire and ice, the swords that the legends talked about. _I will have to ask him that_. Yuki thought. Kyo calmly placed the two swords on his back and looked around the room, admiring the weapons that adorned the walls. He walked out of the room and instantly the door slammed shut.

"We must hurry" Hatsuharu told the group. He was eyeing the swords on Kyo's back with interest. "It is almost dawn. The guards will soon find out that were missing"

The group nodded and they ran off towards the castle stables with Yuki and Hatsuharu leading the way.

"Pick a horse. Any horse" Yuki told all of them as he ran towards his pure white stallion that had a faint thunder shape mark on its forehead the colour of very light brown that it was hardly visible. Hatsuharu went to his horse, a chestnut brown stallion. Momiji ran towards a palomino coloured stallion and got on top of it with childish glee while Kyo picked a horse that was pure black in colour. As soon as all four rode off into the night an alarm was raised. Prince Yuki and his faithful body guard were missing. So were the two prisoners that attempted to kill the prince. An army of guards were sent to go and look after the prince and the chase had begun.

x

Exams are finally over! Wahoo! Anyway here is chapter four of the story promise me you'll find me. I would like to thank .X.Pheonix.X., faeryespell, CallaRose4ever, Shizmoo and ScreamingMoron. Thank you all for your reviews!


	5. The Chase and The Captive Princess

**Chapter 5**

**The Chase and the Captive Princess**

Countess Motoko went to her fiancé's room. She was certain she heard him screaming a few hours ago. She slowly opened the door and let out a gasp. The prince was not in his room! She ran towards Hatsuharu's room and saw that the loyal body guard was also missing and she did what any countess her age would do. She ran towards the room of the king and queen and instantly they raised the alarm, word immediately spread throughout the castle like wildfire that Prince Yuki and his loyal bodyguard were both gone.

An army of guards were assembled on the hall waiting for the king and queen's orders to find the prince. Tension filled the air as the army of guards watched the king position himself on the balcony looking down at the army.

"Find them!" The king yelled. "Use whatever methods you have to, just make sure you bring my son back alive!" He commanded. "I don't care if you kill Hatsuharu in the process just bring me back my son!" He yelled, his voice echoing throughout the halls. _If that blasted son of mine gets away my allegiance with the kingdom of Kiato will be over! _The king thought angrily, glancing over Countess Motoko. The Countess was the ruler's niece; she was also his heir since the ruler was childless. Only through Yuki and Motoko's marriage would peace over the two warring kingdoms ensue. _Damn that Hatsuharu for putting idea's in my son's head!_

x

The four galloped away on their stallions urging them to go faster. Kyo looked back and saw that at least five of the imperial guards were chasing them. _Great._ Kyo thought angrily. He glanced towards the two spell casters, Yuki and Momiji to see if they were doing fine and they were not. Beads of sweat were forming on Yuki's forehead as he tried to hold on with the cloaking spell he casted on the group of four while Momiji looked as if he was about to fall off his horse as he aided Yuki with the spell. Kyo knew the torture that the two were going through. The imperial guards were trying to break down through their defenses and Kyo knew the pain that they were going through. For the cloaking spell to be removed the guards needed to break into the mind of the caster, in their case casters. Having someone constantly trying to break through your mind was as painful as hell since once the caster would lower his defenses the guards will easily be able to take over the caster's mind and vanquish the spell.

Kyo glanced at Hatsuharu and saw that the white haired guard seemed to be doing fine. Hatsuharu was the one responsible for making the horses run faster than the wind. There was a piercing cry and Momiji slumped against his horse. The enemy had broken down through his defenses. With only one spell caster left to shield the group of four the horses became visible to the guards. From behind him he could hear the guards cheering.

x

A brown haired maiden about the age of seventeen watched the glass orbs with intense brown eyes. One of the spell casters had fallen while the other one was weakening. The brown haired maiden bit her lower lip in worry. She glanced to the figure fully clothed in black and asked one question.

"Will they be able to make it?" She asked her voice filled with worry. "Will Prince Yuki's mind be strong enough to conceal them?" The figure clothed in black sadly shook her head.

"No. I'm afraid not" She whispered in a mysterious voice "With five people hammering into his mind it's impossible" The brown haired maiden's eye were filled with sadness as she listen to what her friend told her. "But there is a way" The figure clothed in black quickly added. The brown haired maiden looked at her friend; hope could be seen in her eyes. The figure bit her lips and looked at the tiny glass ball that her friend protectively clutched in her hands and the figure gently took it from her. "I can probably harm the minds of the guards using this glass orb as a medium for my powers to travel in but I'm not certain" She said in a whisper.

"Please, save them" The brown haired maiden pleaded to the figure clothed in black.

The figure closed her eyes and concentrated on her powers. She could feel it slowly building up in her mind. She aimed it towards the guards that were chasing after the four figures and she let go. Her power coursed out of her like some nuclear bomb and as soon as they made contact with the minds of the guards they fell of their horses, barely alive.

x

The guards urged their horses to go faster when all of a sudden they saw a bright ball of lightning flowing towards them. Pain, indescribable pain coursed through their minds as the force cruelly ripped their brains apart. It felt like they were getting electrocuted. The guards let out a howl and one by one they fell off their horses, barely alive.

x

The figure clothed in black watched the figures fall of their horses. She lifted her eyes from the glass orb and faced the anxious brown haired maiden and nodded. The prince and his friends will be able to escape. The brown haired maiden breathed out a sigh of relief and continued watching the glass orb with her brown coloured eyes.

x

Yuki felt the painful hammerings in his head come to an abrupt stop. He breathed out a sigh of relief and continued on with his spell. Not bothering to look back to see the reason why the painful hammerings had stopped. If he did he would have seen the air around the fallen guards crackling with electricity.

x

The brown haired maiden let out a relieved sigh as she watched the guards limply fall off their horses one by one.

"Thank you so much" The brown haired maiden gratefully thanked her friend, pulling her into a warm hug.

"It was nothing" The figure clothed in black replied softly, hugging the brown haired maiden in return.

There was a knock and in came a little boy about the age of eleven or twelve with ebony black hair and pale coloured skin. His eyes were dark brown, almost black in colour and they were unlike any normal human eyes because his eyes were lightless, his pupils almost invisible. The boy gave the brown haired maiden and the figure clothed in black respectable bows before sitting down on one of the chairs.

"I have important news" The little boy informed them in a soft whisper, toying with a piece of twig that was lying on a table by levitating it up and down.

"Did you find out _his_ name?" The figure clothed in black asked, spitting out the word his with loathing. The boy sadly shook his head in reply.

"Even if I do find out_ his_ name it won't work" The child darkly informed the two.

"Why?" The brown haired maiden asked with worry.

"Because _he_ is immune to curses. My powers would be useless against him" The boy replied, angrily throwing off his levitated twig outside the window. "I also have something very important to tell you" Megumi informed the brown haired maiden.

"What is it?" The brown haired maiden asked. There was a long pause before the boy replied.

"He, _the sorcerer_ is coming to visit and this time he won't simply be staying for a fortnight" The boy whispered, his eyes growing darker in anger at the thought of living with the killer of his village under the same roof. "This time he will be staying with us in this castle for good. I think he knows that your friends are coming"

x

Happy new year everyone! I was very busy for Christmas and New Year so I couldn't post any stories. I would like to thank faeryespell, eternalforever, CallaRose4ever, littleduck, .:CrimsonAngel:., mythathena, fan999123, DarkKyo and .X.Phoenix.X. for reviewing. Thanks for the reviews everyone. For Harry Potter readers I would like to say that faeryespell and I are making a Harry Potter story. The story is posted in faeryespell's account (It has nine chapters already) so if you're in the mood to read a Harry Potter story just go to faeryespell's account. For questions about pairings my answer is yes, there will be pairings in this story in the later chapters. Bye and thank you all for reviewing.


	6. Magical Forests

**Chapter 6**

**Magical Forests**

Yuki led the group until they reached the magical forest of Gedrallef. Gedrallef was one of the seven forests in the magical kingdom where the ancient forces of magic slept. No mortal who entered the forest lived to tell the tale but at the moment all Yuki cared about was to escape the imperial guards. As soon as the group entered the forest the sound of breaking glass filled the air. ****

"Where are we?" Kyo asked. There was a piercing cry and he instantly took out one of his swords, the sword of frost. He cautiously inspected the surroundings. His eyes widened in surprise when a slimy rotting hand reached out for his horse. He instantly swung his sword towards the hand and the hand instantly turned into ice and shattered. Another cry was heard and out of the bushes a creature with dark brown skin and bright green eyes instantly jumped out to attack. The creature was missing one arm and Kyo and the others could only assume that the monster was the owner of the hand. Yuki instantly took out an arrow from his quiver and shot the monster. The arrow harmlessly bounced off the monster's chest.

"Prince!" Momiji yelled since he still couldn't remember Yuki's name. "The only way to harm that monster is through magic!" He yelled. Momiji raised his hands and the leaves around the trees started rustling. He gathered his power and slowly the leaves started gathering around his hands. The creature sensing Momiji instantly started charging towards him. Momiji waited for the right moment and instantly let go of the bunch of leaves that was floating over his hands. There was a loud whooshing sound and the leaves quickly floated towards the creature. The leaves were now coated with steel around the edges and they were sharp enough to slice human skin. The creature let out a howl as it felt the leaves tearing through its skin. Blood, the colour of night, started oozing out from its wounds. Thinking that the creature was dead Momiji raised his hands again and the leaves innocently fell down the ground. The only proof that they were actually dangerous was the blood that smeared around the edges of the leaves.

"What was that?" Hatsuharu asked. His face was passive but the way he was gripping his reins gave of the fact that he was scared.

"One of the magical creatures of the forest" Momiji replied. "The creatures living here cannot be harmed by normal weapons. Magic is the only way to defeat them"

"Great" Hatsuharu muttered. "That means I'll be defenseless" Hatsuharu never had the patience to learn spells and the only spells he knew were protective spells.

"Let's get out of this forest" Kyo suggested and he started heading straight towards the opening. There was a loud crash, later followed by a curse and Kyo came back looking angry. "I was just heading towards the opening and all of a sudden a huge blue wall came out of no where! What just happened?" He asked.

"You can't get out of the forest from where you entered it. The only way for us to escape from this forest is to go to the other side. If I'm right there are only two openings that lead to the forest. Each of them on the opposite side of the forest facing each other" Momiji explain and he flashed them all a bright grin "I study" he cheerfully added.

Yuki bit his lower lip. "Finding the other opening is just one of the problems. The other problem is food and water. We can't eat what's in the forest unless we want to stay here forever. If I'm right once you eat or drink something that came from the magical forest you are doomed to stay forever"

"Oh that's no problem!" Momiji proudly told Yuki. "I have this mind spell that prevents hunger" He brightly told them. Yuki and Hatsuharu simply nodded. "Nice spell huh?" He gaily told them. _Were trapped in a forest in danger of staying here forever and Momiji is acting like as if were going to the fair. _Kyo thought. _That kid is too cheerful!_

"Won't that affect our state of mind?" Hatsuharu asked. His snow coloured eyebrows were snapped together in suspicion. He was still the prince's bodyguard and he did not trust the two strangers, even though one of them was the prince's childhood friend. _Over in time people change. _Hatsuharu thought as he watched the young blond happily stroking the mane of the palomino colored stallion that he was ridding on.

"Well…not really" Momiji replied.

"What was the pause for?" He growled in a low dangerous voice. The blond just looked at him innocently as if he didn't understand what he just said.

"If I were you buddy I'd strongly advise that you stop picking on my little companion" Kyo warned in a low dangerous voice. Hatsuharu and Kyo exchanged dangerous glares, their hands resting on the hilt of their swords.

"Hatsuharu, stop it" Yuki commanded in a stern voice. Hatsuharu gave Yuki a reluctant look before turning his back on Kyo.

_Four hours later…_

The group sat down in exhaustion. No one felt like admitting it but they were lost. Kyo angrily sat down the ground with a loud thud followed by an o-so-happy Momiji, an angry Hatsuharu and a tired and sweaty prince. The four stayed silent for a while as they watched the skies slowly darken.

"It is not safe to travel in the magical forest by night" Hatsuharu mumbled as he casually leaned his back against a nearby tree trunk. Kyo snorted in reply.

"Any idiot would know that" Kyo said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He still didn't forgive him for snapping at Momiji. When it came to friends Kyo was like an avenging angel protecting them fiercely. Hatsuharu gave him a murderous look in reply. Yuki and Momiji both let out a sigh. They were simply too tired. For the past few hours Kyo and Hatsuharu constantly argued and they were getting sick of it.

"Can you do a fire spell Yuki?" Momiji whined as he shivered from the cold. "I'm out of energy" He finished as he quickly curled up into a ball. Yuki nodded in reply and did a few hand gesture that imitated the dancing flames. Slowly flames started forming around the. Yuki was in the middle of finishing the spell when a spear struck out of no where, narrowly missing him.

"Fire is forbidden within the ancient forest of Gedrallef" A voice whispered from the darkness.

x

And chapter six is finally up! I would like to thank faeryespell, susie202, CallaRose4ever, DarkKyo, the-everglow, Blue-eyed snowflake, .X.Phoenix.X., littleduck, Dolphindreamer and fan999123 for reviewing.


	7. The Lost Prince of Thesselle

**Chapter Seven**

**The Lost Prince of Thesselle**

Kyo and Hatsuharu quickly drew their swords as they cautiously looked out into the darkness. Yuki had his bow ready with three arrows on his left hand while Momiji on the other hand was blissfully asleep, unaware of what just happed.

"Wake up you idiot!" Kyo muttered as he kicked him on the foot. Momiji let out a yelp and instantly woke up. "Trust an idiot like you to sleep through a situation like this" He muttered under his breath. Momiji looked as if he was about to cry.

"Fire is not allowed in the forest" The voice muttered.

"Who are you?" Yuki yelled. "Show yourself!"

Girlish laughter eerily filled the air and the ground started shaking. Out of nowhere a horse, the colour of night appeared from in between the trees. The horse let out an enraged neigh and slowly the horse started changing. Bright coloured lights, the colour of blue and black started surrounding the horse until it was completely engulfed by it. Slowly the lights started fading and instead of a horse stood a beautiful young girl with black hair that flowed past her hips and dark brown eyes. She slowly stood up with a hostile on her face. On her right hand she held a silver coloured spear that was giving off dangerous sparks.

"Fire is not allowed in the forest of Gedrallef" She whispered. She took a step forward towards them as she swung her spear dangerously to intimidate them. "It will defile the forest and anyone who defiles the forest must _die_" She said with finality. She gave a leap and vanished into the trees. The whole forest was silent as Yuki, Kyo, Hatsuharu and Momiji clustered together in a protective circle. The leaves on the trees rustled and there was a cry. The girl was leaping down at Hatsuharu, her spear held in one arm, ready to slash him. Yuki, Kyo and Momiji both took out their weapons when thick green vines started wrapping themselves around them.

"Hatsuharu!" The three of them yelled as they struggled to escape the steel like grip of the vines that encased them. The girl heard this and smiled a mysterious smile as she crouched down into the ground, her spear was poised high in the air, ready to strike. Hatsuharu eyed her warily as he slowly unsheathed his double edged swords. Then without warning the girl struck. She moved faster than lightning as she swung her spear towards Hatsuharu, he quickly parried it and the sound of metal against metal filled the air as the two continued their dangerous dance of death. He attacked, she countered, she attacked and he dodged. It was like a never ending dance that could only lead to death. The girl had the advantage over range since Hatsuharu couldn't go anywhere near her without the risk of losing his head. He finally breached through her defenses and he struck her in the stomach. A huge gash was made and blood started pouring out of the wound. The girl watched the blood flow with a mysterious smile on her face. She placed her hand on her stomach and looked at her hand in awe as blood started dripping down her fingertips.

"I bleed…" She whispered, looked at him and smiled. "You are a worthy opponent" She mumbled. "Too bad you're a human" She said. The girl looked at her wound and it the wound started closing. "And a defiler of the forest" She finished.

"What are you?" Hatsuharu asked. The girl coolly looked at him in the eyes before replying.

"You don't need to know" She whispered. She was about to attack again when the bleating sound of sheep filled the air. "No…" She whispered angrily. From behind the trees sheep started appearing, big and small, young and old. They watched Hatsuharu and the girl; their huge brown eyes were filled with interest. There was a huge gust of wind and out of nowhere a huge lightning ball filled with electricity struck the girl squarely on the stomach; the blow sent her flying a few meters away. The girl lay sprawled on the hard forest floor, her body crackling with electricity from the lightning ball that was shot towards her. She slowly picked herself up and wiped away the trickles blood that were accumulating in her lips.

"Show yourself you coward!" The girl yelled as she looked around her surrounding wildly. She was only greeted by silence. There was another blast and the girl was sent flying in the air again. She quickly stood up, transformed into a horse and ran away. It was no use fighting an enemy that you can't see. Hatsuharu stood there, his forehead furrowed into a frown. _What's with her? But most of all what is she?_ He thought before he went to help Yuki, the orange head and the blond from breaking free from the vines that bonded them. Hatsuharu tried to cut the vines using his sword but whenever he managed to cut a single piece of vine a new one would grow. HE was starting to get frustrated, neither might nor magic could break the vines.

"How do you get rid of these blasted vines?" He angrily asked himself.

"You ask them politely to let go of your friends" A boyish voice from behind him replied. Hatsuharu quickly turned around and saw that it was from a blond boy about the age of twelve. The boy was carrying a shepherd's staff in his hand, just beside him stood a ram with horns that went in circles.

"Who are you?" Hatsuharu asked suspiciously. The boy simply ignored him as if he didn't hear him.

"Can you please let go of his friends?" The boy asked in a fake sugary sweet voice. There was a slight glow and the vines slowly started unwinding themselves around Yuki, Kyo and Momiji. The three fell down on the ground with a loud thud.

"That hurt" Yuki quietly said to himself. Kyo heard this and he sneered. Yuki ignored him.

"Are you okay my prince?" Hatsuharu asked in a worried voice. Yuki nodded in reply.

"Thanks" Hatsuharu gratefully told the boy. "What's your name?"

"What makes you think that you have the right to know my name? Do you actually think that you're worthy enough for me to tell you? Sheesh! I hate people like that! They think that they have so much authority just because they're older!" Hatsuharu looked at the boy in shock. What caused him to change all of a sudden? _Maybe he has mental problems. _Hatsuharu thought to himself. "But since you beat Rin, the wind guardian I think that you're worthy enough to know my name. I'm Hiro, Hiro Sohma. One of the guardians guarding this forest and don't you dare forget that"

"You're the lost prince of Thesselle. The only son of lady Satsuki" Yuki silently whispered.

"Of course I am! Don't I look like a prince? Besides you're wrong about me being the only child. I heard from very reliable sources that my mom just gave birth to a baby girl. I think her name's Hinata" Hiro finished. "Anyway what makes you think that I am not a prince? Don't I look princely enough?" He asked angrily. _Such attitude._ Kyo thought annoyed. _And to think that he's still so young. He must be a pain once he grows up._

"You do" Yuki hastily added even though the boy before him was dressed in an unrecognizable garb. "It's just that the eldest prince of the kingdom of Thesselle ran away from home five years ago. They never found him, only his cape torn into shreds" Hiro simply shrugged.

"Well, since you obviously know who I am tell me who you are" Hiro told him but it was more like a command.

"My name is Yuki, Yuki Sohma" Yuki replied in a formal, regal voice.

"The youngest prince of the kingdom of Filore" Hiro said with a nod "And who are you?" He asked Kyo with a raised eyebrow as he eyed his worn out tunic and faded boots. Kyo's cheeks turned red with anger as he watched Hiro continue his rude inspection.

"Kyo Sohma" He replied.

"A peasant no doubt" Hiro added as he continued his rude inspection. Kyo angrily lunged at him but failed when Momiji quickly grabbed him on the waist.

"Remember that he saved our life Kyo!" Momiji yelled at the top of his lungs as Kyo tried to get free from his grip. Kyo grunted a reply before effortlessly throwing Momiji off his back and sulkily walking away.

"Touchy isn't he?" Hiro asked. "Yuki-san since you and your friends are lost in this forest I will gladly offer my helping hand. It's not safe for travelers to travel alone here in the forest and besides without I don't think you'll be able to get out here alive"

"Why?" Yuki asked in reply. Hiro gave him an exasperated look in return.

"Man, you're dense and to think that you're a prince. There are three other guardians in this forest, sisters; unlike me they don't like having strangers around. They're the main reason why most travelers come in the forest but never come out but if I'm with your group you will all be safe"

"Why?" Yuki asked.

"Sheesh! Is why the only word you can say?" Hiro asked heatedly. "I'm just one of the guardians. The three trust the strangers I accompany and therefore they won't harm you" He finished.

"I'm tired" Momiji yawned before curling up into a ball. "Sleepy…" He whispered before dozing off.

"I guess everyone's tired and wants to rest" Hiro said with a sigh.

"It's cold tonight" Yuki shivered.

"Don't worry I'll keep the air warm" Hiro reassured him as he pointed his staff to the air.

"But-"

"I don't need sleep" Hiro replied. "I'm used to sleepless nights. Besides even if I do fall asleep my sheep can sleep around you and your friends in a circle to keep you warm"

"Thank you" Yuki said before dozing off.

Hatsuharu lay down on the hard forest floor and closed his eyes. _So her name's Rin._ He thought with a slight smile on his face. He didn't know why but he just couldn't keep her out of his head. She was the most beautiful and toughest woman he's met. It was funny since in his head Hatsuharu had always thought that beautiful women were weak and strong women were ugly. _It looks like I'm wrong._ He thought with a smile. _I hope I'll meet her again. _Hatsuharu fell asleep with a smile plastered on his face.

It was in the middle of the night and Kyo couldn't go to sleep. _It smells too much of sheep. _Kyo thought, wrinkling his nose with disgust. Unable to stand it any longer he got up, picked up his swords and went on a stroll. _Tohru_. He thought, looking up at the skies.

"I'm coming Tohru" Kyo whispered to the skies. "I'm coming"

From the corner of his eye Kyo spotted a movement nearby the bushes. He quickly unsheathed his sword before cautiously approaching the bushes. A figure emerged from the bushes and ran away. Kyo momentarily froze on the spot. It was a girl with long chocolate brown hair and doe brown eyes; she was the very picture of Tohru. Kyo chased after the girl, forgetting everything that his Sensei, Kazuma-dono had told him, that some magical creatures used their power of shape shifting to lure unwary prey.

x

So sorry for the long update. I was very busy because of school work and also because of my piano recital (thank goodness it's over). I would like to thank Kenya DarkKyo, faeryespell, A Hopeful Face and a Smile, the-everglow, littleduck and Fan999123 for reviewing, thanks everyone.


	8. The Boar and The Tiger

**Chapter 8**

**The Boar and the Tiger**

Kyo continued to follow the girl, unaware that he was being led deeper and deeper into the forest. _Where on earth is she going?_ Kyo thought with a frown on his forehead. He brushed off the branches that got on his way and continued chasing the brown haired girl. Kyo was getting tired; it was when he realized that the girl could run fast. To his relief the girl came to an abrupt stop.

"Why are you following me?" The girl asked in a soft and feminine tone, her back facing him.

"Y-you reminded me of someone I know" Kyo replied, gasping for breath.

"Do I?" The girl asked.

"Yes, you reminded me of a very dear friend from long ago" Kyo answered, taking a step closer to the girl.

"She must be a very special friend" The girl slowly turned around and Kyo's eyes widened in horror and took a step back. Both her eyes were bleeding and her pupils were cat-like slits. Her cheeks were pale and sunken and he could see something moving inside her skin.

"Are you afraid?" The girl asked in a teasing tone, taking a step closer to Kyo. His hands instantly grabbed the hilt of his sword. The girl laughed and slowly her features started changing. Her neck elongated and turned into a dark shade of coffee. Her lustrous brown hair merged with her wrinkled back and turned into spikes and her hands and fingers grew longer along with her legs, which forced her to go down on all fours. Kyo wrinkled his nose in disgust; the girl was the stench of death.

"What the hell?" Kyo gasped. Before him stood an ugly, deformed creature that was too hideous for words.

With an inhuman scream the monster leapt at Kyo, swinging its huge claws at him. Luckily Kyo parried in time, which saved him his life. Kyo smirked as he saw the creature's hand slowly began to freeze. This was the special power of his sword, anything that came in contact with it would become frozen and only one with a powerful fighting spirit or a highly magical artifact could neutralize its effects.

Kyo's eyes widened with horror and surprise as he watched the creature's freezing arm thaw. With a devil like grin the creature lunged at Kyo and attempted to attack him again with its claws. This time Kyo moved a second to slow and he could feel its sharp pointed claws lightly graze against his skin.

"You bastard" Kyo muttered before wildly spring at the monster and attacking her like a frenzied madman. The creature dodged Kyo's continuous attacks with ease, a small smile formed on its lips. The creature continued dodging the dangerous blades, patiently waiting for its wielder to run out of strength.

_Crap! How long can this thing keep on dodging my attacks? _Kyo thought angrily. He was running out of strength and pretty soon he'd be too tired to even stand. Panting hard he summoned all of his energy and both the sword began glow, each emitting a strange aura but before Kyo could finish summoning up the swords magic the stench in the air increased and Kyo fell down the hard forest floor and fainted. Terror gripped his heart as he slowly felt his senses being robbed away. _No…I can't die now…not yet…not here…_ Kyo thought as he desperately tried to remain conscious and failed as he heavily fell down the ground with a hard thump.

x

The creature watched the orange haired boy fall down to the ground with glee. _I shall feast tonight. _The creature thought with joy as it slowly approached Kyo poking his tender flesh with its claws. _It has been long since I have dined on human flesh._ The creature grabbed hold of one of Kyo's limbs, it was about to pull one of Kyo's limbs out when the earth began to shake and water started to randomly pour out of nowhere.

Out of the ground emerged a young woman with ebony coloured tresses and huge chocolate brown eyes. In her hands she held a scythe and following closely behind her was a boar with tusks sharper than the fangs of a wolf. The creature hissed as soon as it saw the woman.

"Get your filthy hands off that boy!" The woman yelled angrily before charging at the boar with a crazed look in her eyes. With a fearful look the creature ran away only to find a young child with orange coloured hair and ginger coloured eyes blocking its way. The girl held no weapons, making her seem vulnerable but behind her stood a tiger and a tigress.

"You're not going anywhere!" The brown haired woman yelled at the creature, a hint of sarcasm and amusement could be found in her voice, the young girl quietly nodded in agreement.

The creature hissed it was trapped with no where else to go. The only chance was to defeat either one of the girls. The creature glanced back and forth at the two girls, trying to decide the weaker opponent. The brown haired woman looked strong and the creature doubted if it would be possible to pass her while the orange haired youngster looked frail and weak. The creature quickly made up its mind and ran towards the young girl; it was a stupid mistake as the two tigers hiding behind the girl leapt at the advancing creature to protect their master.

The girl slowly held out her hand and a jet stream of water began to flow out of her fingertips. The tigers jumped away from the creature just in time as the powerful flow of water viciously attacked the beaten monster. The older girl ran towards the monster and drew a circle around it with her scythe.

"Mother Earth please hear my plea,

Return this creature where it should be" The older girl quickly chanted.

The circle began to glow and the ground within the circle vanished into thin air and the creature was swallowed into the ground. The two girls watched the creature desperately cling for dear life with emotionless eyes, watching it struggle and frantically escape the fatal spell that would seal it for eternity.

"Goodbye" The older girl whispered as she watched the circle fully consume the creature. Wiping the sweat off her forehead she turned to the younger girl and smiled. "We finally sealed the last of them haven't we Kisa?"

The younger girl looked at her older sister and smiled. Her ginger eyes filled with happiness.

"To think we had to track that thing down for two whole days. I'm glad it's finally over" The older girl said with a smile. "We can finally have a good night sleep without Isuzu breathing down our necks telling us to hurry up seal the monster, right Kisa?" The older sister asked. Kisa nodded in reply; finally they were going to have a peaceful night without Isuzu-nee constantly waking them up to chase down monsters. _I wonder why she won't do it herself. _Kisa thought with a frown. _It's always me and Kagura-neechan that has to chase and seal monsters in the middle of the night._

Kisa yawned, she was feeling sleepy. They had chased down the monster for two whole nights and for those two whole nights not once did she manage to sleep. Motioning one of her tigers to come Kisa wearily got on its back and instantly fell asleep. Kagura looked at her younger sister sympathetically and gave the tigress a nod. With a powerful leap the tigress ran deeper to the forest protectively carrying Kisa on its back, closely followed behind by the male tiger.

Kagura carefully approached the orange haired boy and knelt down beside him, her chocolate coloured eyes filled with concern and awe. It was the first time she actually met a human brave enough to fight one of the cursed creatures of the forest and survived. _Was it because of bravery or stupidity?_ Kagura thought as she continued watching the boy. He had orange coloured hair that shine under the moonlight and sun kissed skin for training under the sun. He had the complexion of a warrior, an attractive young warrior. _He is very handsome…_ Kagura observed her cheeks turning into a slight shade of crimson.

Kagura let out a smile as she continued watching the warrior. _Should I leave him here to die or should I help him? _She thought. _I should help him. _Kagura decided. _The forest is a dangerous place for humans and I wouldn't want anything to happen to him._

"Evert come here" She motioned her boar to come closer and immediately the boar obeyed. "I want you to carry this boy" She commanded.

"_Why do you wish to help a human?" _The boar asked with a grunt, it wasn't willing to carry a heavy male after two sleepless nights.

"Because I wish to. Now come here" Kagura ordered. With a grunt the boar grudgingly obeyed his master and knelt down beside her. Kagura grabbed the boy's arms and gently draped his lithe body across the boar's hairy back.

"_This human is heavy" _The boar grunted.

"I don't want to hear any complaints. Evert, I want you to carry him as gently as you possibly can while we head back home okay?"

"_What if I don't?" _The boar asked arrogantly, his pride touched for having to carry a worthless human on its back.

"Then you'll wish that you've never had me as your master" Kagura whispered threateningly at the boar with a crazed look in her eyes. "Understand?"

With a gulp the boar nodded and grudgingly began its journey back home. Kagura may be kind but there were times when she was nothing more than a crazy psychopath master that would easily get carried away over such trivial things. _Sometimes I wish that Kisa was my master. _The boar grumbled. _Too bad I'm stuck with her._

"I heard that!" Kagura yelled from behind. The boar in reply haughtily stuck its nose up in the air and continued walking with what could only be describe as an arrogant strut.

"I swear not only do I have to handle a hot tempered sister and a mute sister I also have to handle an arrogant and stubborn boar!" Kagura angrily whispered to herself. "Rin sure is lucky that she doesn't have an animal to look after…then again it's because of the fact that her animal has already merged with her" Kagura bit her lip with worry. Even though she was older than Rin her powers were greater than hers. The proof of it was the fact that she had already learned to merge with her animal, making her far stronger than Kagura. Of course once Kagura learned to merge with Evert she was sure that her powers would exceed Rin's but she wasn't too sure if she wanted to share her body with a grumpy stubborn boar that had no regard to hygiene.

Kagura's mind drifted back to the orange haired boy. He was gorgeous and she was sure that he was roughly around the same age as her. Not only was he attractive he was also a fine warrior. Thinking of his qualities a thought struck Kagura's mind. He was handsome, he was single and he was also a powerful warrior. In other words he was perfect husband material.

_I'm going to make sure that he stays here in this forest with me no matter what. _Kagura thought with a determined smile on her face. Watching his lithe form resting on Evert's back a blush graced her cheeks. _I'm going to have you, my sweet orange-kun…_

x

Whew, chapter 8 is finally over. I think this is the longest chapter I've written so far in this story (Dunno I might be mistaken). Anyways I would like to thank cocoke5, SnowAngel101, namelessshadow, faeryespell, Fan999123, viviana tully, littleduck, snowboarder67 and DarkKyo. Thank you all for reviewing it makes me feel so happy! Bye!


	9. Daughters of The Zodiac

**Chapter 9**

**Daughters of the Zodiac**

Kagura brushed past the thick leafy undergrowth that hindered her movement. With a slight smile on her face she closely followed Evert enter a cave that was partly concealed by a group of bushes tightly clustered together.

Upon entering the cave Evert let out a grunt before unceremoniously dumping his heavy load on the hard ground. With his head held high up on the air he ignored Kagura's heated gazed and exited the cave.

'_Don't expect any more favors from me after this' _The boar grunted. Kagura frowned in return as she watched the boar march towards the entrance of the cave.

'_Like as if I would ask any favors from you, you stupid boar. But before you go can you please carry this boy over there?'_ Kagura pleaded with a smile.

'_Why should I? Do it yourself!' _Evert arrogantly replied. Kagura smirked in reply.

'_You know what happens when I hug someone from the opposite sex' _Kagura informed him.

'_Well, then don't hug him while you're carrying him then!' _Evert snapped back.

'_You know that I turn into a boar and since you are my zodiac counter part it would mean that you would be forced to merge with me for a short period of time. Are you willing to actually merge with me, even tough if it's only for a short period of time? Well?' _Kagura asked him slyly _'Because I for one am not willing to merge with you even for a second'_ She added.

With a disgusted grunt Evert grudgingly dragged the orange haired boy towards the corner of the cave. Not caring whether he was too rough or gentle. When Evert finally finished carrying the orange haired boy to the corner he gave Kagura a haughty look before leaving the cave.

"Stubborn boar" Kagura whispered to herself as she shook her head in dismay. Compared to her sisters she was the only one having trouble with her zodiac animal. _I wonder if I'll ever learn to control him. _She sighed.

Staring at the orange haired boy she could slowly feel herself blush. He really was handsome. _He reminds me of my dream prince…_Kagura dreamily sighed, lost in thought as she began recalling memories of her childhood. With a happy smile on her face she lovingly caressed his face when she noticed that something was wrong. His temperature was hotter than normal.

Feeling dread slowly creep up her mind, she frantically searched him for any signs of injury. _Please let it just be a fever. _She silently prayed to herself as she searched his arms for any signs of scratches. _Please…_She mentally prayed. Then she noticed it, the slight tear on the side of his tunic. _No!_ Kagura mentally cried as she lifted his tunic to examine the wound.

It was only an inch deep but even then it was enough for him to get infected. The creature that they fought earlier was none other than the Felidae, a cursed creature that had the power to turn its prey into one of its kind through a single scratch or a bite. It was one of the most dangerous creatures in the forest.

There was once a story about how the Felidae was created and born into the world. The Felidae was once the unfortunate cat in the zodiac story. The cat hated the rat with so much passion that eventually his anger slowly began to take form, changing the appearance of the cat. But even in its new form the cat still couldn't beat the clever rat and in the end it fled. The god of the zodiac feared that the cat might cause trouble to everyone so he gave the creature a weakness. It could only survive in a place where magical energy was abundant. He created a special place for the cat where it was free to roam and create its own race, namely the seven magical forests.

Kagura let out a sob as she watched the wound grow larger. She didn't know what to do and even though if she never knew him he didn't deserve such a horrible fate. _I'll have to kill him before he completely transforms. _She closed her eyes as she mentally prepared herself. She finally found someone she thought she could love, someone she thought she could trust and befriend. She didn't want to kill him but in her mind she knew that it was her duty to keep the spread of the Felidae contained. Wiping away the tears forming on her eye she picked up her weapon and readied herself to kill the innocent sleeping warrior.

Letting out a war cry Kagura raised her scythe and swiftly descended it on the boy's throat, to give him a quick and painless death. She stopped as the blade was merely inches away from his skin. Sobbing she dropped her spear and cried. She couldn't do it. Killing a person's life to prevent a curse from spreading was wrong.

_There has to be a way to save him! _She thought to herself as she wiped her tears away, racking her brains as she tried to recall the various properties of certain herbs that could possibly save his life.

While thinking her hand unconsciously began playing with the bracelet she wore around her neck as a pendant. It was made out of red and white beads. Harder than stone Kagura always wondered what substance was used to create the beads. _Why did the sorcerer give it to me anyway?_ Kagura thought with a frown. After such a long time she forgot the purpose of the bracelet. _What purpose does this bracelet hold?_ Closing her eyes she began recollecting her memories. Starting from the day she and her sisters arrived in the forest.

x

_Eight years ago…_

There was a raging storm as nature showed its wrath on the village of Amaia. Cattle's were kept inside their sheds as villagers where safely seeking refuge within their homes. No one could be seen on the streets apart from three homeless girls, taking refuge underneath a huge oak tree.

Shivering from the cold the three girls huddled closely to each other for warmth. One had long wet raven hair that partly concealed her face. Her brown eyes expressed fear as she helplessly looked around, trying to find shelter. Her name was Isuzu Sohma and she was roughly around the young and tender age of nine. Around her sisters she was usually called as Rin.

"We need to find shelter soon nee-chan or Kisa will get a cold" Rin muttered to her eleven year old sister Kagura. Kagura merely nodded in reply. Her wet brown hair framed her terrified face as she held their younger sister tighter.

"But we don't have anywhere to go. None of the villagers will take pity on us" She replied. "Just because were different doesn't mean we should live on the streets like animals!" She fiercely whispered as she held her younger sister tighter. Both sisters exchanged worried glances as they hear Kisa cough.

Kisa Sohma was the youngest of the three sisters and she was also the one most prone to illness. She had bright orange hair and glowing topaz coloured eyes. It was because of her strange complexion that caused her to be bullied by the village children.

"Kisa, are you alright?" Kagura asked in a motherly voice. Kisa mutely nodded in reply.

Rin let out a sigh as she watched Kagura desperately try to comfort their four year old sister. _It's everyone's fault why Kisa can no longer talk! _Rin thought bitterly. By treating Kisa like an outcast she began to stop talking. It was when their parents disowned them when Kisa finally lost her voice due to shock and depression. _They will all pay…_Rin thought angrily._ I will become stronger to protect us, I promise. _Rin mentally vowed.

The storm grew worse as it grew later. They would have never survived in the storm until a sleek black carriage pulled up. All three watched as a man with short black hair and teal coloured eyes slowly stepped out of the carriage.

"My, my. What do we have here?" He asked with a smile as he looked at the three girls. "Three little girls out in the cold with no where to go"

"What do you want with us?" Rin hissed as she angrily stood up on her feet, her brown eyes blazing with anger at the stranger "Were out here in the cold! Just leave us alone!" she cried. The man smiled a cold smile in return.

"That is exactly why I won't be leaving you and you your sisters alone. I can't just pass by and leave you three girls out in the rain" He replied. "Come in my carriage" He offered.

"Why are you, a stranger, helping us all of a sudden?" Kagura asked suspiciously.

"Because I know about the curse you three possess and I am the only one who can help you" The man replied. His teal eyes were cold and mocking as he looked at the three girls.

"We shouldn't trust him" Rin whispered warily to Kagura.

"But if we don't we'll only end up staying out here in the cold" Kagura replied. Lifting her hazel eyes towards the man she replied "Fine, we'll come along with you"

The three sisters entered the carriage. Dazzled by the splendor they gingerly sat on the couches, as if they were afraid to ruin it by sitting on them. The man entered and sat on the opposite couch.

"By the way, my name's Akito"

"Akito-sama we are greatly indebted to you" Kagura politely bowed down her head in thanks. Akito merely shrugged in reply.

After an hour of traveling in silence Akito finally spoke "Do you know what I am?" The three girls shook their heads in reply. "I am a sorcerer" exchanging frightened glances the three girls quickly began estimating the distance between them and the door. "Don't worry I won't do anything to you three" Akito mocked.

"Then what do you want with us then?" Rin asked angrily. Akito ignored her glare.

"The three of you are very special" He whispered with a smile. His cold gaze fixed on Kisa. "Do you know why?" He asked Kisa softly. Kisa shook her head in reply. "It's because of the power residing inside you"

"W-we have no power" Kagura shakily replied. "We're just normal children-"

"That everyone loathes because of the fact that they can turn into the animals of the zodiac" Akito finished. "The three of you can turn into animals of the zodiac. Horse" He points his finger towards Rin "Boar" his colds eyes glanced at Kagura "And Tiger" Smiling his cold eyes shifted from Kagura to Kisa. "The three of you are part of the twelve juunishi" He explained. "The juunishi consists of twelve animals: Rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, rooster, dog and boar. These animals have their own strengths and weaknesses, their own yin and yang. What makes the three of you special is unlike the others the three of you can command the respective elements of your zodiac" He silently observed the three girls to see if they understood him before continuing. "The three of you are the daughters of the zodiac"

"I-if we are what you say we are then what are you?" Rin asked.

"I" He replied "Am the closest thing the three of you will ever have as god" Smiling he mockingly watched the three girls that sat opposite beside him. All of them seemed shock at the revelation. "I'll make you a deal" Akito offered. "I will give you a safe haven and temporarily lift the curse of the zodiac from all three of you but like every deal there is a prize"

"Name it" Kagura whispered.

"I will give all of you a home within the magical forests and I want you to guard all seven"

"T-that's all?" Kagura mumbled.

"I also want you to search for the other nine juunishi because unlike you their curse is still inactive. They can hug people without the fear of transforming into their respective zodiacs. I just want you to find them and inform me about their presence" Akito said with a smile. "Do we have a deal?"

"Deal" Kagura agreed with a nod.

The carriage came to a full stop and the door swung open magically. They were in front of the magical forest of Gedrallef, their new home. Slowly stepping out of the carriage the three girls stood at the entrance of the forest feeling a mixture of awe and fear.

"This is Gedrallef. You can reach the other six forests by using your elements. She has water, making her very versatile. As long as there is moisture she can easily use that moisture to reach the other forests" He explained, glancing towards Kisa. "And water is everywhere so out of the three of you she is the only one that can easily transport from one forest to another. You have fire and out of all three your power is limited" He explained pointing towards Rin. "You can only travel to another forest as long as there is fire and not may travelers are brave enough to even step foot within the forest and lastly you are earth" He explained as he pointed his finger towards Kagura. "You can are like your younger sister. You are free to travel between the forests whenever you wish. Do all of you understand?" Akito asked. The three mutely nodded in reply.

"Stay where you are" Akito advised. Creating a circle around all three he silently began reciting an incantation in a low voice that not even the three of them could hear.

A bright light flashed and Kagura felt an excruciating pain run through her whole body. Weakly kneeling down on her knees she could feel that something was being forcefully taken away from her. Her lungs became constricted; she felt her intake of oxygen decrease. Her vision became blurry and like a drowning man she desperately tried to run out of the circle. Kagura could feel something eating her inside, the pain increasing at every passing moment. An inhuman screech filled the air and Kagura found herself fighting for consciousness.

"Meet your zodiac" Akito informed callously, a merciless smile could be seen on his lips.

Kagura lifted her eyes and before her she could see a young piglet, huddled front of her.

'_What's you name?' _She asked. The young piglet hesitated before replying.

'_Name's Evert and you are?' _Kagura smiled, the piglet had the high pitched voice of a young boy.

'_Kagura'_ she weakly whispered.

Kagura slowly tried to stand up. Weakly she looked around her and she could see Rin fondly caressing a young black pony. She glanced towards Kisa and her eyebrows furrowed in surprise. Kisa did not have one, she had two cubs.

"The first three juunishi have two creatures residing within them" Akito explained, as if reading her mind.

The three girls slowly began entering the forest, closely followed by their zodiac animals. Before Kagura could enter she felt the sorcerer pull her back.

"I want you to keep this bracelet" Akito informed her, handing her a red and white bead bracelet. Kagura gingerly took the bracelet from his hands. "This bracelet has special properties" He explained "If you ever meet an infected victim of the Felidae use this to contain its curse from spreading but choose wisely this bracelet can only be used once"

"What is a Felidae?" Kagura innocently asked.

"The true form of the cat"

"What is this made of?" Kagura asked before entering the forest.

"Human bones"

x

_Back to Kagura…_

Kagura let out a happy smile as she looked at the bracelet with tears in her eyes. It was the boy's saving grace. Quickly she placed it in his hands when she felt a strong hand restrain her from doing it.

"What are you doing?" Rin hissed. Her eyes were fierce and filled with suspicion. "Why are you giving him the charmed bracelet the sorcerer gave you?" She asked.

"He's infected" Kagura replied. "This is the only way to save him"

"Don't do it!" Rin harshly told her. Her grip on Kagura's hand intensified. "By letting him wear that bracelet you are damning him for eternity"

"I-I can't kill him" Kagura painfully whispered. Anger could be seen on Rin's eyes.

"Why? Because you think you finally found someone who think you can love? When you agreed with Akito-san's deal eight years ago you knew that falling in love was not part of it!" Kagura remained silent which angered Rin more "Don't force your one sided love on this boy you just met! You don't even know if he'll love you back or hate you for what you've done!"

"Rin…you don't know what its like. I want to spend my time with someone I care for" She silently sobbed.

"You have us!" Rin cried. Kagura remained silent and she knew that trying to change her nee-chan's mind would never work. "If you won't listen to me so be it but remember by giving him that bracelet he will simply be an existence built on others sacrifices! On other's lives! Stealing everything! Trampling on everything until there's nothing left! That is the life he will lead if he wears that bracelet" Rin angrily hissed before leaving the cave.

x

Rin angrily let out a litany of curses as she slowly began climbing up her favorite tree. Once on the tree she let out a disappointed sigh and closed her eyes, being on high ground always made her feel secure. It was her sanctuary from her everyday problems.

Basking on the warm sun she closed her eyes and slowly began drifting off to sleep when she felt a sharp pang inside her head. Dizzy with the pain she hurriedly climbed down the tree and tried to control the mental attack.

'_Rosalind stop!' _Rin mentally pleaded her zodiac.

'_No…' _The horse coldly replied.

Rin shakily stood up and blindly began running towards a nearby water source. When Akito temporarily freed them from their zodiac it wasn't out of kindness but out of spite. Once the zodiacs were freed they became unwilling to return. It was the reason why Rosalind, Rin's zodiac, rebelled against her once they merged.

Her eyesight became a blur and she blindly plunged into the short waterfall. Only water could calm her zodiac down. She felt the water surround her and at once the relentless attacks ceased. Weakly Rin tried to swim to the surface but failed as she could feel herself sinking deeper and deeper. Slowly she became unconscious when she felt strong arms slowly wrap themselves around her waist. She could only see the blurry outline of her savior, his hair was white. She slowly blacked out and mentally thanked her white haired savior.

x

Whew, one of the longest chapters I've written so far. Sorry for the long update. I would like to thank Indigo Spirit, littleduck, SnowAngel101, cocoke5, Mireille, faeryespell, the-everglow, Kurotaka Naoko, i.swear.to.drunk.im.not.god. And Midnight Shadows Starlight. Thank you all so much for reviewing. Bye!


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